How to Reverse the West's Decline

The greatest civilizations eventually fall due to their own internal decay.

It is not clear that the West has successfully met the challenge of 9/11. Worse: it is not clear that the West yet fully understands what the challenge is.

To understand 2001 we have to go back to 1989, the year of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was an historic moment that few had expected. What did it mean? It was then that two stories were born, with one of which we are familiar, the other of which we seem hardly to know or understand at all.

The first narrative was that the West had won. Communism had imploded. In the end, it failed to deliver the goods. People wanted freedom. They sought affluence. The Soviet Union had delivered neither. Politically it was repressive. Economically it was inefficient. For freedom you need liberal democracy. For affluence you need the market economy. 1989 marked the victory of both. From here on democratic capitalism would spread slowly but surely across the world. To adapt Francis Fukuyama's phrase of the time, it was the beginning of the end of history.

The other narrative was quite different but has the advantage of so far being proved correct. Unlike Fukuyama's, it was based not on Hegel but on the 14th-century Islamic thinker Ibn Khaldun. We don't know much about Ibn Khaldun in the West but we should. He was one of the truly great thinkers of the Middle Ages. He has every claim to be called the world's first sociologist. Not for another 300 years would the West produce a figure of comparable originality: Giambattista Vico. Both produced compelling accounts of the rise and fall of civilizations. Both knew what most people most of the time forget: that the greatest civilizations eventually fall. The reason they do so is not necessarily the rise of a stronger power. It is their own internal decay.

Most accounts of al-Qaeda focus on the intellectual influence of the 20th-century thinker and critic of the West, Sayyid Qutb. That influence was real. But the deeper story the leaders of al-Qaeda told in 1989, without which 9/11 is unintelligible, had less to do with Qutb and hatred of the West and its freedoms; and much more to do with the key precipitating event of the fall of Communism: the withdrawal, in 1989, of the Soviet army from Afghanistan.

People no longer think in terms of the common good. They are no longer willing to make sacrifices for one another.

It was that event that set in motion the rapid collapse of one of the world's two superpowers. It was achieved not by the United States and its military might, but by a small group of religiously inspired fighters, the mujahideen and their helpers. Ibn Khaldun's theory was that every urban civilization becomes vulnerable when it grows decadent from within. People live in towns and get used to luxuries. The rich grow indolent, the poor resentful. There is a loss of asabiyah, a keyword for Khaldun. Nowadays we would probably translate it as "social cohesion". People no longer think in terms of the common good. They are no longer willing to make sacrifices for one another. Essentially they lose the will to defend themselves. They then become easy prey for the desert dwellers, the people used to fighting to stay alive.

That, so it seemed to those who read history that way, is what happened in Afghanistan. It was never possible for a small group to defeat a superpower by conventional means. But it could go on endlessly inflicting casualty after casualty until eventually the superpower — more like a lumbering elephant than a wounded lion — withdrew. The desert dwellers are hungrier, tougher and more ruthless than the city dwellers who long more than anything for a quiet life.

That was the calculation. The odd thing is, it worked. And those who had fought the Soviet Union looked on in wonder at the effect of their victory. For not only did the Russians withdraw. Within an extraordinarily short time their whole empire collapsed. Ibn Khaldun was right. The society had grown rotten from within. It had lost its asabiyah, its cohesion. It had lost the will to fight.

If that is what a small group of highly motivated religious fighters could do to one superpower, why not the other, America and the West? America could not be defeated on its own ground. But what if it could be tempted, provoked, into occupying the very same ground that had seen the humiliating withdrawal of the Soviet army, namely Afghanistan itself? To do so would require a truly massive provocation, one so shocking that it would make the Americans forget what everyone knew, that Afghanistan is a death trap that ultimately defeats all invading armies. That is when 9/11 was born.

The theory was that the Americans and the Russians might be unalike in every other respect, but this they shared: that they were advanced urban civilizations in which the social bond, asabiyah, had grown weak. They were no longer lean and hungry. They were overweight and lacked the capacity for sustained sacrifice. If America could be provoked into occupying Afghanistan, it could be defeated exactly as the Soviets had been, not by any decisive battle but by sustained asymmetric warfare. The proof was that American troops had withdrawn from Lebanon in 1984 and Somalia in 1994 under just such circumstances. They had no more staying power than the Russians. Like the Russians, within a decade they would be looking for an exit strategy. 9/11 was the attempt to lure the United States into Afghanistan, and it worked.

The aim of al-Qaeda never was the collapse of the West. It was the withdrawal of American troops from Saudi Arabia, together with larger aspirations for the revival of the Caliphate and the reemergence of the Umma as a world power. But the collapse of the West was foreseen. It was not an aim but a consequence, and it followed from Ibn Khaldun's theory of the decline and fall of civilizations.

Has it happened? Not yet. But ten years on, the United States has been humiliated into renegotiating its trillions of dollars of debt. Western economies, almost all of them, are ailing. The European Union is under strain, its future in doubt. There have been riots and looting on the streets of London and Manchester, just as there have been in recent years in France, Greece and Spain. The global economy looks far less stable than it did before the collapse of 2008. In Europe, following a series of scandals, bankers, politicians, journalists and even the police have been tried and found wanting. Those who read the runes of the future are turning their eyes eastward to India, China, and the fast-growing economies of south-east Asia. The West no longer looks invincible. As a narrative, the "end of history" has proved less predictive than the "decline of civilizations". So far, Hegel 0, Ibn Khaldun 1.

The real challenge is the underlying moral health of Western liberal democracies, their collective responsibility, and to the ideals that brought them into being.

The real challenge of 9/11 is not what it seemed at the time: Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, Sayyid Qutb and radical Islam. These were real and present threats, to be sure, but they were symptoms, not cause. The challenge was the underlying moral health of Western liberal democracies, their asabiyah, their sense of identity and collective responsibility, their commitment to one another and to the ideals that brought them into being. The counter-narrative of 1989 and the fall of Soviet Communism saw it not as a victory for the West but as part of a law of history that says: all great civilizations eventually decline, and the West will be the next to go.

That view is not limited to enemies of the West. It was most recently stated by the Harvard historian Niall Ferguson in his Civilization: The West and the Rest. It was most powerfully formulated by Alasdair MacIntyre in his masterwork, After Virtue. My favourite version of it comes from Bertrand Russell in the introduction to his History of Western Philosophy, speaking about the tendency of the most creative civilizations to self-destruct:

What had happened in the great age of Greece happened again in Renaissance Italy. Traditional moral restraints disappeared, because they were seen to be associated with superstition; the liberation from fetters made individuals energetic and creative, producing a rare florescence of genius; but the anarchy and treachery which inevitably resulted from the decay of morals made Italians collectively impotent, and they fell, like the Greeks, under the domination of nations less civilised than themselves but not so destitute of social cohesion.

Social cohesion is what Ibn Khaldun called asabiyah. And Russell's description of Renaissance Italy fits precisely the postmodern, late capitalist West, with its urge to spend and its failure to save, its moral relativism and hyper-individualism, its political culture of rights without responsibilities, its aggressive secularism and resentment of any morality of self-restraint, and its failure to inculcate the habits of instinctual deferral that Sigmund Freud saw as the very basis of civilization. Sayyid Qutb hated the West. Ibn Khaldun would have pitied the West. The pity is more serious than the hate.

There is a simple choice before us. Will we continue to act in ignorance of this other narrative? If so, we will replicate the fate of Greece in the second pre-Christian century as described by Polybius ("the people of Hellas had entered on the false path of ostentation, avarice and laziness"), and that of Rome two centuries later, when Livy wrote about "how, with the gradual relaxation of discipline, morals first subsided, as it were, then sank lower and lower, and finally began the downward plunge which has brought us to our present time, when we can endure neither our vices nor their cure." If we carry on as we are going, the West will decline and fall.

There is, to my mind, only one sane alternative. That is to do what England and America did in the 1820s. Those two societies, deeply secularized after the rationalist 18th century, scarred and fractured by the problems of industrialization, calmly set about remoralising themselves, thereby renewing themselves.

The three decades, 1820-1850, saw an unprecedented proliferation of groups dedicated to social, political and educational reform-building schools, YMCAs, orphanages, starting temperance groups, charities, friendly societies, campaigning for the abolition of slavery, corporal punishment and inhumane working conditions, and working for the extension of voting rights. Alexis de Tocqueville was astonished by what he saw in America and the same process was happening at the same time in Britain.

People did not leave it to government or the market. They did it themselves in communities, congregations, groups of every shape and size. They understood the connection between morality and morale. They knew that only a society held together by a strong moral bond, by asabiyah, has any chance of succeeding in the long run. That collective effort of remoralization eventually made Britain the greatest world power in the 19th century and America in the 20th.

None of us should be in any doubt as to the seriousness of what is at stake.

It is a peculiarity of the Abrahamic monotheisms that they see, at the heart of society, the idea of covenant. Covenantal politics are politics with a purpose, driven by high ideals, among them the sanctity of life, the dignity of the individual, the rule of justice and compassion, and concern for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger. G.K. Chesterton called America a "nation with the soul of a church". Britain used to be like that too. In the 1950s there was no television at certain hours on Sunday so as not to deter churchgoing. Sundays helped keep families together, families helped keep communities together, and communities helped keep society together. I, a Jew growing up in a Christian nation, did not feel threatened by this. I felt supported by it — much more than I do now in an ostensibly more tolerant but actually far more abrasive, rude and aggressive society.

What is unique about covenant is its seemingly endless possibility of renewal. It happened in the Bible in the days of Joshua, Josiah and Ezra. It happened in America between 1820 and 1850 in the Second Great Awakening. It happened in Britain at the same time through the great Victorian social reformers and philanthropists. Covenant defeats the law of entropy that says that all systems lose energy over time. It creates renewable energy. It has the power to arrest, even reverse, the decline and fall of nations.

None of us should be in any doubt as to the seriousness of what is at stake. Europe today is pursuing the chimera of societies without a shared moral code, nations without a collective identity, cultures without a respect for tradition, groups without a concern for the common good, and politics without the slightest sense of history. Ibn Khaldun, were he alive, would tell them precisely where that leads.

The question is not radical Islam but, does the West believe in itself any more? Is it capable of renewing itself as it did two centuries ago? Or will it crumble as did the Soviet Union from internal decay. "We have met the enemy," said the cartoon character Pogo, "and he is us." That is the challenge of 9/11. It's about time we came together to meet it.

Visitor Comments: 28

(22)
JC,
July 28, 2013 5:16 PM

Americans need to read this, hopefully they will understand it.

As an American I can confirm that collectively we are ignorant of most of what this article addresses. Certainly with consideration of the real meanings of 9/11 and the Afghan War. Our heads are firmly planted in the sand and we see the world the way we want it to be, not how it is. The solutions offered here are simple and strike at the heart of Western Civ. And the best part about the solutions are that they require nobody else to do anything. It all falls on us. The questions remains are we to decadent or lazy to make the changes and adapt? We shall soon find out.

(21)
Cyril Allard,
June 27, 2012 9:11 PM

Thank you for caring.

You know, I've only looked at the title of this article and two thoughts come to my mind. First is the thought of we as Americans will do well to remember that we are not the end all to be all. We are part of God's intricate plan of creation (Gen. 10, Acts 17) and we should consider those around us as just as important and valuable as we are. The second is a smiling realization that here Israel has shown Gratitude for what was done for her in 1949. She has taken upon herself the burdens of the West and by prayer, meditation, scripture, and her unique relationship with the Lord God offered counsel and friendship in this dark time for our country. I feel that you deserve a thank you and recognition for this. Bless you.

(20)
Bryant O'Hara,
October 17, 2011 12:05 AM

Morality follows practicality - and reality

Okay here's what I think the author said:
Great civilizations fall because at some point they fail to "dig deep" and do what needs to be done to stay prosperous. Once a civilization fails to do this, it is incapable of maintaining itself and either collapses under its own weight or is conquered by the nearest, strongest competitor. What he suggests is a re-adherence to the moral codes that got them their original glory.
I disagree with this premise because it does not take reality or history properly into account. Rome fell because it expanded farther than it could sustain without fundamentally changing its political structure. Italy wasn't even a single nation until well into the 19th century. Greece and Sparta battled each other to exhaustion.
I would contend that civilizations fall because they hit physical limits to which their societies cannot - or choose not to - adjust.
What is required is a level of social self-correction that is the exact opposite of what the author suggests. We need to face real problems and deal with them, not focus on imaginary ones based on navel-gazing about morality and needing to "dig deep".

(19)
Miriam,
September 27, 2011 6:10 PM

I Agree

Why don't more Americans and Western Europeans see the truth written here.I've been talking to people I know about this for the past few years.It seem there is no interest in people changing there life styles.We need to get the word out.We need to get this to Congress.Everyone needs to participate,or it's going to happen sooner.

(18)
Joey,
September 22, 2011 7:02 AM

Very Thought-Provoking!

You give this issue a level of depth that is rarely seen. Thanks and God bless!

(17)
gyula,
September 20, 2011 9:45 AM

"The theory was that the Americans and the Russians might be unalike in every other respect, but this they shared: that they were advanced urban civilizations in which the social bond, asabiyah, had grown weak. They were no longer lean and hungry."
Russians werent lean and hungry? I am really sure that the author of this article never attended history and geography classes, you can be sure about that.

Wassim,
October 22, 2011 8:12 AM

Show some respect for THE Chief Rabbi please

Unjustified defensive stance, selective quoting, taken out of context, and irrational. 10 hail Marys for you!

(16)
Carolyn,
September 14, 2011 7:32 PM

I can only respond with an "amen" and:
G-d have mercy upon us.
How blind are we who can not see but, how dark is my darkness when I do not WANT to see!

(15)
wayne ferry,
September 13, 2011 9:47 PM

it's the money stupid

Democracies can only survive to that point where the public realizes it can vote itself largess from the public purse. What are watching in all the western democracies?

Anonymous,
September 14, 2011 10:18 AM

Western democracy

Democracy is a number crunch..... our numbers are dwindling..... does not bode well fr western civivilisation.... as long as muslim population growth rates continue their favourable trend, in time, they should have a majority vote paving the way to a democratic enforcement of :-( Sharia Law.

Corin,
September 18, 2011 12:41 AM

You forget

Sharia law doesn't offer freedom or liberation, look at the second generation muslims in America and most of them are about as secular as the white christians.
I do however agree with the article, the West will collapse for the very same reason it has been successful, we all strive to fulfill our own little quirks and perversions, eventually we won't care about anyone but ourselves because we will have split off into our own tribes and the fabric of society will unfold, a couple of weak links and it will all come crumbling down. Financial distress is only the first stage.

Anonymous,
September 19, 2011 1:11 PM

In Response to "you Forget"

Refer Sharia Law, my comment does not suggest Sharia Law is related to Freedom,or liberation, neither is democarcy, to assume democracy is restriced to those values is naieve. Democracy as we know it, is supported by people who value the precepts of freedom and liberation - a democracy is merely the right of all to vote and the majority ideaology is the one that WINS, currebntly, the numbers favour a secular society.
I was not referring to Islam in North America, perhaps in the Amerian context Islam ,migrants are secular and well integrated, however, Western Civilisation extends beyond the broders of North America, one only need to look at Holland, UK, France, Germany, Swizterland to see the impact Islamic communities have on local government, view the communities "demands" etc - this is far broader that the stars and stripes of corruption.

(14)
Eric,
September 12, 2011 6:42 PM

Fabulous.

(n.c.)

(13)
Tanya,
September 12, 2011 1:02 PM

100 % in agreement

In addition to the detailed study above, I would like to add, some of my experiences,
1. I am trying to raise a religiously observant (moral) family, teaching my chidlren my values, but as a full time employee,not unlike many families, the reality is tha margin for influence in instilling my values with my children is limited, my children are subject to influences at school, one is in a secular Jewish schoool and the other in a governement school.
2. My teenager has been taught all about RIGHTS in Life Orientation, she has little knowledge or understanding and comittment of corresponding RESPONSIBILITIES.
I have even had my teen tell me i dont respect you, because you do not respect me, her understanding of respect is my complying with her every request.
3. Society / community (media) enforces a philosophy of entitlement to an affluent, materialistic, non accountable lifestyle.
4. As a society we suffer form a leadership deficit, leaders today are not accountable for their actions, corruption, preservation of their family and thier marriages, if they cannot be sensitive to those closest to them how can we trust them to make decisions impacting our welfare.
5. Our society is materially motivated, it is a greed and hunger we cannot fulfill, our sensitivity, empathy for others has diminsihed.
I honestly believe that the state of western civilisation and its current erosion is directly linked to the disintegration of the family, maybe this is where it started?
I dont watch much TV, but one Sunday watched TV with my daughter, she was being enteratined by a reality show hosting Sweet Sixteen parties for girls, with a budget in excess of most average weddings, next was a reality show about the homes and cars of sports stars...... if this is what attracts and entertains and captures the hearts and minds and souls of our children...... a paralysed and ailing community has got to be the result.

(12)
Ruth Broch,
September 12, 2011 10:25 AM

Ending of the draft

The beginning of the end of America was the day the universal draft was abandoned. There is no longer a shared destiny. The country is divided between those who never have to defend America with their lives, and those who chose to, sometimes because of patriotism, but, let's face it, more often because those who join have no other jobs they can turn to. This division has destroyed the USA, has destroyed patriotism.

(11)
Aaron ben Hrsch Tzvi,
September 12, 2011 9:21 AM

From Moses to Moses there is none like Moses.

At the time of Maimonides Jewry throughout the world coined the above phrase. In the 21st.Century we should again coin a phrase and this time it should read " From Israel to Yonathan there has been no equal ".,Once again The UK Chief Rabbi shows why he is so respected throughtout the World and not only the Jewish World. His eloquence, brilliance and precise argumentation shoiws through in whatever he does. His article is really perceptive and sums up the problem facing us all. Therefore, from Chief Rabbi Israel Brodie, G-d rest his soul, until Chief Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Sacks there has been no equal to the present Chief Rabbi. B/"H may he long serve the Jewish Pople in his most enlightened way.

(10)
Aliza G,
September 12, 2011 4:47 AM

Thought-Provoking and Insightful

Thank you for a well-written and insightful article that manages to pinpoint exactly how we've lost our collective moral compass. Much appreciated, especially in these times of societal mores that laud those who say, "me, me, me!"

(9)
Bishop Manasseh,
September 11, 2011 9:20 PM

Your worst enemy is in the mirror/MORAL DECAY

The words that hit me like a ton of bircks are;
"Both knew what most people most of the time forget: that the greatest civilizations eventually fall. The reason they do so is not necessarily the rise of a stronger power. It is their own internal decay."
Because all one needs to do is look at the past powers and empires and find out that internal moral was the greatest contributor to their demise
Thankyou Rabbi

(8)
Sheikh mohammed,
September 11, 2011 4:45 PM

This article should be the article of the year, one question I may like to ask, can the Ibn Khaldum theory be applicable to the Israel-Palestinian problem. I think the answer is yes, for mindless is universal from where ever it emanates from as long as it is sincere.

(7)
Manuel Carlos Poliwoda,
September 11, 2011 4:02 PM

Rabbi Sacks points out with thought provoking arguments that Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, Sayyid Qutb, and radical Islam were not the causes but the symptoms that caused 9/11. As Rabbi Sacks states, “The real challenge is the underlying moral health of Western liberal democracies, their collective responsibility, to the ideals that brought them into being.”As as Galia Berry points out in her comments, that the month of Elul is the appropriate time to examine ones innermost being. Not only as individuals but as a collective societies that can meet their moral and ethical values that have been corroded by continuing egocentric ideals.

(6)
Sonia Macdonald,
September 11, 2011 3:34 PM

I've never read anything more rational and appealing to common sense (which is uncommon these days) as this article. Kudos to the auther.

(5)
Dan Gold,
September 11, 2011 3:31 PM

Too true

You only have to spend an hour or so looking around the US - where some 80% of the population is overweight and 20% is downright obese - to understand how right Sir Sacks is. Not to mention the great push to legalize homosexual marriage, the rush to spend more than one has, the massive debts accumulated because of corporate and individual greed, etc. Sorry to be a pessimist, but I don't think it will be turned around in the way that Sir Sacks advocates.

Tanya,
September 13, 2011 6:37 AM

Agreed

Unprecedented greed and consumerism,with the objective, being quantity,not quality, a disposable society mentality, where everything can be "replaced...."not so sure that reform cannot be achieved, so I would say I am cautiously optimistic "If its going to be, its up to me" start by impacting, who we can,children, partners friends, thosein our immediate circle,change has to come from within.....the opportunity exists for leaders such as Sir Sacks to come to the fore to lead....a crisis, need not have a negative outcome.

(4)
Edmond Richter,
September 11, 2011 3:30 PM

The Essenz of Societies

An very fine and very deep Analysis of what makes Societies grow and prosper or decay and fall.
1. Why is Oswald Spengler ("Der Untergang des Abendlandes" - The decline of the Occident) forgotten?
2. I am skeptikal about our capacity to live a moral renewal in the west.
And 3. I admire your Essay

(3)
ted,
September 11, 2011 3:20 PM

One of your best essays to date.

Much like a blind squirrel that happens on an acorn every now and then, you hit the mark in a very special way every now and then. Sir Jonathan hit the mark this morning!

(2)
Frank Adam,
September 11, 2011 2:08 PM

If you suck up to them you deserve them

IBN Khaldun is a valid writer and Marx also noted that "Capitalism" would collapse from its internal contradictions.
PEOPLE dislike intensely and ignore the inconvenient and the Taliban victory in Afghaniistan over the USSR was amply assisted by shiploads of dollars and the latest portable US weapons especially AA "Stinger" rockets.
WE should also remember the Eisenhower warning about the military -industrial complex getting hold of the economy and distorting it. Pre 1940 US was a society with no defence sector to speak of tha thad fought in the first WW with French and British artillery French staff work and British machine gun doctrine - which explains the French ghost in NATO staff and artillery calibres. In WW II the US also picked up a lot of French tank design and British electronics and the Packard Merlin. The US contribution was to turn its civvy street transport fabrication to military purpose in six months and build a vast number of standard ships, locos and aircraft.
IT was in the 50's to 80's Cold War that BOTH USA and USSR economies prospered on military manufacture and R & D which overtaxed the USSSR before it subverted the USA. Even now if the USA switched a third of its defence spend (which is 50% of the world defence budget) to building a decent well and blacktop road to every village in the Third World it would be a better security return per buck spent by helping prosperity and contentment.
THE best sentence in this article is that the British and American 19th century did not leave things to the government and the market - key word MARKET - because part of the current problem in Israel the US and the highly ideological British Conservative party is to throw everything possible to the market BUT there are things which, strange to say, the market can not do well unless backed by government funds and plans.

(1)
Galia Berry,
September 11, 2011 12:14 PM

Outstanding

This brilliant and thought-provoking essay should be every single newspaper's leading editorial. I especially like that instead of pointing fingers (radical Islam is "only the symptom") Rabbi Sacks forces us to examine ourselves. (How appropriate for Elul!). We have lost our way. Rabbi Sacks has, through historical reference, deep analysis and constructive thought, allowed us to glimpse the light. Let's strive to wake up and regain what we've lost, the true moral and G-dly compass that is our beacon and raison d'etre.. May Heaven help us!

Denise Rootenberg,
September 11, 2011 6:10 PM

Thank you for your comment which piqued my interest

and led me to read this article. I agree, this should be widely disseminated.
I can't say more, you have expressed it so eloquently. Just that people are building huger and huger houses while their brethren are starving from the recession.
The US unlike Canada was never afraid of mentioning G-d e.g. in the speeches after 9/11 but today's ceremonies omitted religious references.

I just got married and have an important question: Can we eat rice on Passover? My wife grew up eating it, and I did not. Is this just a matter of family tradition?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

The Torah instructs a Jew not to eat (or even possess) chametz all seven days of Passover (Exodus 13:3). "Chametz" is defined as any of the five grains (wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye) that came into contact with water for more than 18 minutes. Chametz is a serious Torah prohibition, and for that reason we take extra protective measures on Passover to prevent any mistakes.

Hence the category of food called "kitniyot" (sometimes referred to generically as "legumes"). This includes rice, corn, soy beans, string beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, mustard, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. Even though kitniyot cannot technically become chametz, Ashkenazi Jews do not eat them on Passover. Why?

Products of kitniyot often appear like chametz products. For example, it can be hard to distinguish between rice flour (kitniyot) and wheat flour (chametz). Also, chametz grains may become inadvertently mixed together with kitniyot. Therefore, to prevent confusion, all kitniyot were prohibited.

In Jewish law, there is one important distinction between chametz and kitniyot. During Passover, it is forbidden to even have chametz in one's possession (hence the custom of "selling chametz"). Whereas it is permitted to own kitniyot during Passover and even to use it - not for eating - but for things like baby powder which contains cornstarch. Similarly, someone who is sick is allowed to take medicine containing kitniyot.

What about derivatives of kitniyot - e.g. corn oil, peanut oil, etc? This is a difference of opinion. Many will use kitniyot-based oils on Passover, while others are strict and only use olive or walnut oil.

Finally, there is one product called "quinoa" (pronounced "ken-wah" or "kin-o-ah") that is permitted on Passover even for Ashkenazim. Although it resembles a grain, it is technically a grass, and was never included in the prohibition against kitniyot. It is prepared like rice and has a very high protein content. (It's excellent in "cholent" stew!) In the United States and elsewhere, mainstream kosher supervision agencies certify it "Kosher for Passover" -- look for the label.

Interestingly, the Sefardi Jewish community does not have a prohibition against kitniyot. This creates the strange situation, for example, where one family could be eating rice on Passover - when their neighbors will not. So am I going to guess here that you are Ashkenazi and your wife is Sefardi. Am I right?

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (1194-1270), known as Nachmanides, and by the acronym of his name, Ramban. Born in Spain, he was a physician by trade, but was best-known for authoring brilliant commentaries on the Bible, Talmud, and philosophy. In 1263, King James of Spain authorized a disputation (religious debate) between Nachmanides and a Jewish convert to Christianity, Pablo Christiani. Nachmanides reluctantly agreed to take part, only after being assured by the king that he would have full freedom of expression. Nachmanides won the debate, which earned the king's respect and a prize of 300 gold coins. But this incensed the Church: Nachmanides was charged with blasphemy and he was forced to flee Spain. So at age 72, Nachmanides moved to Jerusalem. He was struck by the desolation in the Holy City -- there were so few Jews that he could not even find a minyan to pray. Nachmanides immediately set about rebuilding the Jewish community. The Ramban Synagogue stands today in Jerusalem's Old City, a living testimony to his efforts.

It's easy to be intimidated by mean people. See through their mask. Underneath is an insecure and unhappy person. They are alienated from others because they are alienated from themselves.

Have compassion for them. Not pity, not condemning, not fear, but compassion. Feel for their suffering. Identify with their core humanity. You might be able to influence them for the good. You might not. Either way your compassion frees you from their destructiveness. And if you would like to help them change, compassion gives you a chance to succeed.

It is the nature of a person to be influenced by his fellows and comrades (Rambam, Hil. De'os 6:1).

We can never escape the influence of our environment. Our life-style impacts upon us and, as if by osmosis, penetrates our skin and becomes part of us.

Our environment today is thoroughly computerized. Computer intelligence is no longer a science-fiction fantasy, but an everyday occurrence. Some computers can even carry out complete interviews. The computer asks questions, receives answers, interprets these answers, and uses its newly acquired information to ask new questions.

Still, while computers may be able to think, they cannot feel. The uniqueness of human beings is therefore no longer in their intellect, but in their emotions.

We must be extremely careful not to allow ourselves to become human computers that are devoid of feelings. Our culture is in danger of losing this essential aspect of humanity, remaining only with intellect. Because we communicate so much with unfeeling computers, we are in danger of becoming disconnected from our own feelings and oblivious to the feelings of others.

As we check in at our jobs, and the computer on our desk greets us with, "Good morning, Mr. Smith. Today is Wednesday, and here is the agenda for today," let us remember that this machine may indeed be brilliant, but it cannot laugh or cry. It cannot be happy if we succeed, or sad if we fail.

Today I shall...

try to remain a human being in every way - by keeping in touch with my own feelings and being sensitive to the feelings of others.

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Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...